It is not easy to identify who has influence and who has Control in a Project.  This presentation content can be used by senior managers or project managers to identify the capability of teams. This method is normally used to identify issues, challenges, intra-group conflicts among Teams in a Project.

Step 1 : Understand the Situation of  Influence and Control

Normally it is used when there is project over run or it can be even it project planning stage.

• This tool can be used to identify who has proper skills to be part of project.
• Who has control  and influence over project.
• Who has  will be the best fit to take control.
• Who has control but will be a silent partner in the project.
• Basically under stand the people management related issues in a project.

Here are some excellent books on “How to influence People and Managers”, which you can buy online.

Step 2 – Influence and Control

Create a diagrammatic representation of  where issues and opportunities reside in terms of teams or individual ability to control and influence them.

Step 3 : Expected Duration to Identify the Influence and Control

The expected duration to discuss the challenges and conclude this  presentation should take approximatly 30 to 60 mts

Step 4: List all the Challenges

Agree on the list of items to be considered for the discussion. This could also be change opportunities. You can apply brain storming method to flush out ideas and narrow down on challenges and issues before going to next step.

Step 5:

Go through the list identified and consider for each  issue who influences or who controls  them in the team, the

Step 6:  Categories of Influence and Control

challenges and influences would basically fall into three broad categories as shown in the diagram below.

• Influence and control the issues or
• Influence and not control the issues or
• Neither influence  nor control the issue

Step6 Classify the issues

For each issue faced place it on the appropriate place on the diagram. For example an athlete training for a marathon the things that fall under the influence and control category would be fitness, effort, type of coaching.  That which falls into influence and no control would be start position and the things that fall into no influence and no control would be route, distance and other competitors.

Step 7 Focus areas which has influence and control

As in the Diagram focuses on the issues that are in the center category, i.e the  issues  which will have influence and control. These are the issues that need to be taken forward and actions put in a place to sort them out.

Step 8 : Issues with influence but no control

The issues in the next level of the circle i.e. influence and no control. Apply power map techniques to increase the effectiveness of your influence of your control.

Step 9 : Issues with no Influence and no control

The issues in the outer circle i.e. No influence and No control.  Be aware of the issues and the impact they may have on the issues you can control, but limit the time that is spent discussing solutions as they will have no impact on what happens.

For the example in the Diagram the issues to focus on first are sustenance, training fitness. Minimal time and effort should be spent on weather, distance and other competitors.

Step 10 Key point summary -Influence and Control

1. Be realistic about what you have control, and influence over, we often have less control than we believe.
2. The boundaries will move over time, the issues will move between groups.
3. If there is an issue that currently has no control it is some time possible to influence people to enable it in to the controllable category. Make sure you fully understand the reasoning for wanting to control the issue.
4. While creating the presentation be careful that too many slides or too much time is not spent debating the gray areas between the groupings. Actually if they are gray they are probably of less importance.

For Creating a Good presentation to influence and  Ensure Control , I have Come across Good power templates, Power Icons  and Power slides which can come out very useful.

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Hope this article on Influence and Control was useful.